H125 FastFin Approved by Transport Canada

BLR Aerospace today announced that its FastFin® Tail Rotor Enhancement and Stability System has been approved by Transport Canada for installation on Canadian registered Airbus H125/AS350 helicopters.

The H125 FastFin System was certified in late 2016 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and recently received approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The System is available to the aftermarket and as a factory-installed STC option on new Airbus H125/AS350 helicopters.

Twenty-five H125 FastFin Systems have been sold to operators in Europe and North America. “BLR is gratified to bring the FastFin System to hard-working H125/AS350 operators in Canada,” said BLR President Mike Carpenter. “It’s a proven, value-enhancing technology that helps make missions more efficient and productive.”

The FastFin System uses advanced airflow management to increase the effectiveness of the H125/AS350 anti-torque system for significant increases to useful load and aircraft stability. Benefits include a useful load increase up to 130 pounds and a 10 percent improvement in pedal margins. In addition to increases in useful load, FastFin System benefits include reductions in pilot workload, easier control in precision hover-hold operations and better management of the yaw axis when hovering in challenging crosswinds.

Currently, there are more than 700 Airbus helicopters operating across Canada, with the H125/AS350 as the most popular aircraft flying today.

“As the single-engine reference for multi-faceted mission requirements, the addition of the BLR FastFin System for the H125 has created a large amount of interest within the Canadian market,” said Romain Trapp, President Airbus Helicopters Canada. “The additional performance will assist in further expanding the mission portfolio of H125 operators, particularly those flying in demanding environments.”

The H125 FastFin System is available to purchase through Airbus Helicopters Canada, Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services and Avialta Helicopters Ltd.